From Textiles...
And
Thereby
Hangs
A Name
Some of the most common sur
names in the English language had
their origin in the textile industry,
and describe the work done by early
bearers of those names.
Take these examples; The name
Shepard or Shepherd may be traced
to the shepherd or sheepherd, who
tended the flocks, while Shearer,
Sheerman, Shurman and Sherman
originated in the men who sheared or
clipped the sheep.
Stapler, Wool, Wooler, Woolman or
Wollsey were derived from the mer
chant to whom the wool was sold,
while the carrying it from place to
place gave rise to the names Carter,
Packer or Carrier.
Wool was turned over to Carders
and Combers, Kempers or Kemsters,
then passed on to Spinners and Weav
ers, Weevers, Webbs, Webbers or
Websters.
The Teasers, Tosers, Teaslers or
Taylors brought out the nap of fabric
by “teasing”, and the wool was dyed
by the Dyers, Litters, Listers, and
Lesters.
Special work or skills brought
about other names. The fulling or
shrinking process was done by the
Fullers, Fullertons or Fullmans, all
helped out by the Walkers who trod
it with their feet, while the fabric was
beaten with bats and mallets by the
Beaters, Teatermans, Bates and
Battemans.
Thus, some of the romance and
color of textiles in the long ago will
be carried from generation to genera
tion by the people whose names grew
out of one of mankind’s oldest indus
tries.
Plant Publication Has A Birthday
—^11 f a good volume of
rirestone
NEWS
A.
J~ f w
The machinery of Time has ground out a good volume of
history for Firestone in Gastonia during the past ten years,
snd the plant newspaper has been on hand to record some o
the highlights and shades in between.
. --.u r^iovpes ’ r^ommunity,
This month marks the tenth
anniversary of Firestone News.
The first issue, dated May 5,
1952, chronicled a review of
Firestone’s milestones of prog
ress for the first 17 years in Gas
tonia. It indulged in some nos
talgia of the “old days”, and
posted readers with what was
going on with employees, their
community, and the Firestone
company at large.
The “charter” issue had a
generous offering of news pic
tures that told of the plant’s big
safety award that year, the first
John W. Thomas Scouting
Award for a Gastonia boy, con
struction of Main Office, com
pletion of Firestone Wesleyan
Methodist Church; recreation
and other employee activities,
community affairs, company
benefits, and production opera-
! tions.
A FRONT-PAGE
from general
message
general manager Harold
iercer introduced the new pub- ty-service issue in
ication as “Your Paper”. It was Firestone News is produced
o be published “for the purpose under direction of the Industrial
ringing you interesting news Relations department, wit gen
fu fellow employees and of eral oversight from t ®
f ^^®^tone community. Its pany’s Department of u ic e x O ■ 1
‘Yoke of Firestone’ Returns In September
. .rs
^ matters of general inter- and Canada. K».;ncr into the household
of Gastouia
ployees and their community,
the textile and rubber indus
tries and the other four major
fields in which the Firestone
company operates.
In addition, there has been a
variety of other subject matter
of interest and benefit to the
personal lives of the people who
make up the Firestone family.
The company publication here
was issued twice monthly from
its beginning to late 1955, when
it began a monthly schedule. At
that time the paper adopted a
“new look” when Dowd Press
of Charlotte was awarded the
printing contract.
THE FIRST editor was R. H.
Hood. When he left in late 1954,
he was foUowed by Claude Cal
laway.
Significant highlights through
the years were a special 8-page
edition at the plant’s 20th anni
versary celebration here in May
of 1955, and a 10-page communi
ty-service issue in July, 1957.
" Mows is produ'
MILESTONE-
Page 1 of planl
newspaper's first
issue presented
a progress re
view of the years
1935-1952, a mes
sage to employ
ees, a picture of
management
team and old
photo of the
plant.
One "dogear"
on the nameplate
quoted company
founder Harvey
S. Firestone;
"The happiest
men in the world
are those who
are making their
jobs mean more
than simply an
endless routine
of work and
wages." The
other "dogear"
called attention
to a list of vol
unteer news re
porters, listed on
an inside page.
1'^rogress M,arks Firesl'Oiie's 17 Years InGastonia'
Fr4£H!-«e!rii(r iflJii-ptmfmirRl; is* :
■* • • r)i we to 'iAw• i
vi Jfci? jtai,
youb papkh
t i'M* H •lidM. '■
* «'««.«* j a.Wi{- *•*¥« jmwiiiw*)* awl's s-wfr inw.*-.—
fim !W»-? llMI, ■fThtUff, •(*%» Ulpwifttj :
mV, Ite-syu'W'wl \ *1'™ nM iU* rirft W 'f-M' i
II VTPIH>
..
■‘•I’hmw.v sv I,,
lilHf
Pioneer in Radio and TV
mauers oi ge
est and importance.
‘This is your paper,'
Mercer
Mr.
your
will
bringing a
IlCi
Firestone News of Gastonia
has several times shared with
other Firestone employee publi
cations in the Freedoms Founda
tion Award for outstanding con
tributions to the American Way
of life.
— for the plant
Mercer concluded, “and
wholehearted cooperation
sid its success in bringing a
measure of enjoyment and bene
fit to you and your fellow em-
PWees. The Management pledg
es its best efforts in this direc
tion.”
In the years since 195
plant newspaper has tried tu up- ^g^g. auu
erate on the formula set by the Excellence
general manager. The publica- .• gy^jshed achieveme
tion has attempted to present ^ oy-aohy, 19®^ •
I balanced material about em- ® — ^ ^
OUR
COUNTRY
needs its
WILDLANDS
The American public's in
creasing interest in fine
music and a lingering popu
larity of a pioneering radio
telecast are bringing “The
Voice of Firestone” back to
TV in September,
Company chairman Harvey S.
Firestone Jr. and Leonard H.
Goldenson, president of Ameri
can Broadcasting, Paramount
iinve announced
ing Sept. 30. With Firestone
sponsorship, the program will
be on the air 52 weeks a year.
THE NEW “Voice of Fire
stone” will be a TV concert
featuring music from the popu
lar operas, operettas and the
music America loves best; out
standing solo instrumentalists
and singers; and leading dancers
in the field of ballet and the
How em- of me.
nt pledg- Other honors for the piam. ^ —
.sd,ec- —per here In the u.
newspaper-type pu Theaters Inc. have announced contemporary dance.
1952, the ^ ial Edi- return of the outstanding cultur- Chairman Firestone said,
•led to op- lantic Council nroeram “This new ‘Voice of Firestone’
tors, ^is_ It returns to the ABC Tele- will be somewhat different in
vision Network weekly on Sun- format and scope from the pro
days at 9-9:30 p.m., EST, start- its debut or
GreenviHe
radio back in 1928. Our aim in
presenting it is still the same:
To bring into the households of
America the finest of music and
the greatest of artists. We look
forward with great anticipation
to resuming and continuing our
generation-long association with
the music-loving homes of
America.”
“The Voice of Firestone” had
a loyal following in the 31 years
it was on the air. It began on
radio in December of 1928 and
on ABC-TV in June, 1954. It was
the first commercial program to
be simulcast on both TV and
radio.
p4
CABIN LIFE
Page 3
S3HW
The program left the air in
^ June of 1954. In the interim, the
Textile Trade Exhibit In October
Firestone company sponsored an
More than 400 exhibitors from for the first time significant “tfv" nTws
178 cities in 30 states and nine technological break-throughs . .
„rni narticipate made in recent months. A'rp. Television was^associat-
178 cities in 30 staiea
foreign countries will participate mciu.c .x. —
in the 22nd Southern Textile Ex- exhibitors demon-
posrtion at Textile Ml m continuing
Greenvi le, S, C., c. ' growth of the textile machinery-
Both the number of exli.bitors ^quipment-supply industry L
(416 and total space for the ex- southeast, and the national-
position (123,000 square feet) set
new records for the show. The Greenville show.
number of live exhibits—ma
chinery and equipment in opera- Members of management and
tion—also is expected to be at supervisory persormel in pro-
a new high, according to Bertha duction and administration at
M. Green, Exposition director. Firestone’s Gastonia plant at-
A number of manufacturers tend the Greenville exposition
have indicated they will show when it is held every two years.
History lie vv o J. -
ABC Television was associat
ed with the ‘Voice of Firestone’
during the last five years of its
31-year run,” said Mr. Golden
son. “We are honored to bring
back to television this outstand
ing program of the best in music
performed by top-ranking art
ists.”
ABC Television vice president
Thomas W. Moore noted that
“the ‘Voice of Firestone' was one
of the shows that always came
up when discussing superior
programs of the past.”